Former NBA player Terry Porter recently shared his two cents about what the current Portland Trail Blazers team needs to do to be legitimate contenders in the league.
While the Blazers do have a phenomenal backcourt tandem in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, Porter bared that they still need that third superstar to hang with the true behemoths of the Western Conference.
“You look in the West, the elite teams have three bonafide scorers. Three guys who can go out and get you 20 a night,” the University of Portland head coach said on the Talkin' Blazers podcast, per Chris Burkhardt of NBC Sports.
“I dunno who the Blazers have as their third guy. I know they got two guys, cause those two guys have proven they can go out and get you buckets… They're still gonna need that third guy, cause when they go against the elite teams in the regular season you can get by. But when you go head to head against the elite teams in the playoffs, now it becomes a huge factor with regards to how you're going to be able to guard those guys but also how they're going to be able to be productive.”
The Blazers actually had another multiple-time All-Star in their roster last season in Carmelo Anthony. While Melo did enjoy a terrific outing in his NBA comeback, it's evident he was no longer the same supreme scorer he was in his prime.
Terry Porter, meanwhile, donned the Blazers colors for ten seasons from 1985 to 1995. The former two-time All-Star understands what it takes to come out of the West, as Portland reached the Finals in 1990 and 1992 with him running point.
However, they came up short on both occasions against the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls, respectively.
Porter was the Blazers' second-in-command during that time alongside the great Clyde Drexler. That squad also had the likes of Kevin Duckworth and Jerome Kersey at the height of their dominance.
Despite their lack of a third star, the current Blazers ensemble has managed to overachieve in recent years. They reached the Conference Finals in 2019 and secured the eight seed this year despite dealing with multiple injuries. Porter is right, though, the Rip City squad just needa one more solid guy to get over the hump.
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